New Localities, Distribution and Habitat Modeling of the Critically Endangered Sri Lankan Frog &lt;i&gt;Nannophrys marmorata&lt;/i&gt;

Ukuwela, Kanishka D. B.; Bandara, Imesh Nuwan; Zoysa, H.K.S. De; Rupasinghe, U.A.L.D.; Vandercone, Rajnish P. G.

doi:10.30906/1026-2296-2020-27-1-33-40

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Although ENMs can at least partly address these knowledge gaps, such applications are considerably limited in certain tropical biodiversity hotspots. For instance, in the Indian-oceanic island of Sri Lanka, ENMs are uncommon in ecological and conservation research [26][27][28]. A scholarly search across numerous (PubMed, BioOne, ProQuest, Web of Science, Dimensions) databases did not reveal any research on ENMs targeting Ceylonese bats.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioclimatic Envelopes for Two Bat Species from a Tropical Island: Insights on Current and Future Distribution from Ecological Niche Modeling

Bandara

Madurapperuma²,

Edirisinghe³

et al. 2022

Diversity

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Bats perform critical ecosystem functions, including the pollination, seed dispersal, and regulation of invertebrate populations. Yet, bat populations are declining worldwide primarily due to habitat loss and other anthropogenic stressors. Thus, studies on bat ecology, particularly on environmental determinants of bat occupancy, are paramount to their conservation. High mobility, nocturnal behavior, and roosting site selection of bats make conventional surveys challenging. Moreover, little is known about geographic distribution, habitat suitability, and responses to climate change among tropical bat species. To bridge these research gaps, we applied ecological niche modeling to two Ceylonese bat species, Kerivoula malpasi and Kerivoula picta, to map their geographic distribution. Seasonal variations in temperature and precipitation were critical environmental predictors of bat distribution in general. Southwestern lowland forests contained the most optimal habitats for the relatively wide-ranging Kerivoula picta, while the central highlands provided the most suitable habitats for the narrow-ranging Kerivoula malpasi. No tangible changes in the highly suitable habitats were evident in response to projected climate change for either species. Yet, the optimal ranges of K. malpasi can become fragmented in the future, whereas the most optimal habitats for K. picta are likely to become spatially contiguous in the future. Habitat availability or fundamental niche alone is insufficient to reliably forecast species persistence, thus we caution against considering these two bat species as resilient to climate change. Our findings will enable the conservation authorities to initiate preemptive conservation strategies, such as the establishment of landscape-scale habitat connectivity and management of buffer zones around conservation lands. We also encourage conservation authorities to employ ecological niche models to map potential species distributions and to forecast range shifts due to climate change.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioclimatic Envelopes for Two Bat Species from a Tropical Island: Insights on Current and Future Distribution from Ecological Niche Modeling

Bandara

Madurapperuma²,

Edirisinghe³

et al. 2022

Diversity

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Distribution status and influence of climate change on patterns of distribution of hornbills in Sri Lanka

Wijerathne,

Vidanapathirana,

Panduwawala

et al. 2024

Global Ecology and Conservation

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Mapping an endangered living fossil's distribution, threats, and protection coverage

Contardo,

Labra

2024

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Species Distribution Models have emerged in recent decades as a powerful tool for biodiversity research, as they allow, for example, assessing the status of species in their whole distributions. These models have been particularly helpful in demonstrating that amphibian populations are at high risk, with many declining and others already extinct. Here, we assessed the potential distribution of the helmeted water toad (Calyptocephalella gayi), an endemic Chilean amphibian considered a living fossil and cataloged as vulnerable, which requires significant conservation efforts. We modeled the species' potential distribution using the Maximum Entropy (Maxent) approach and determined the overlap with national protected areas. In addition, we conducted a geospatial risk analysis to estimate the threat level to which this toad is being subjected. The potential distribution of C. gayi ranges from 28°S to 44°S, mainly explained by altitude, mean diurnal temperature range, slope, and distance to water bodies. Protected areas only cover 3.55% of the species' potential geographic distribution, which is of concern, considering that the geospatial risk analysis showed that 60.61% of C. gayi's distribution is subjected to extreme and high risks. We discuss how these results are relevant to focusing and directing efficient protection and conservation efforts for this species shortly.

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New Localities, Distribution and Habitat Modeling of the Critically Endangered Sri Lankan Frog <i>Nannophrys marmorata</i>

Cited by 3 publications

References 0 publications

Bioclimatic Envelopes for Two Bat Species from a Tropical Island: Insights on Current and Future Distribution from Ecological Niche Modeling

Bioclimatic Envelopes for Two Bat Species from a Tropical Island: Insights on Current and Future Distribution from Ecological Niche Modeling

Distribution status and influence of climate change on patterns of distribution of hornbills in Sri Lanka

Mapping an endangered living fossil's distribution, threats, and protection coverage

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